At the end of a winding 52-mile drive through the rain forests of Maui, Hawaii sits the peaceful, idyllic village of Hana. And there, in a forest reserve, is a sort of green Eden: the Hana Lani Treehouses.

In this particular eco-resort Eden there are four options for accommodations, each rather spread apart from each other:

The Bed & Breakfast House is the only one of the options with electricity. Then again, it isn’t really a treehouse but a semi-modern wooden guesthouse. It sleeps eight and includes a kitchen, hammock and gorgeous views of green jungles and the blue Pacific beyond.

The other three accommodation options are akin to glorified camping and “not for the fussy” by the resort’s own admission. But, man are they cool!

The Tree Pavilion is a wood cottage on stilts. It has a propane stove, BBQ area and a view of the ocean from your bed.

The House Of The August Moon is perched half in a tree, half on stilts, on the side of a hill. It has open walls, two balcony hammocks and a bamboo outhouse bathroom a one-minute walk away; at night the path is lit by Tiki torches.

Our favorite accommodations are at the Hana Lani is the Treetops Treehouse. This 1,000 square foot wood and tree limb structure spans across three levels and includes as many sleeping areas. The top level has plastic sheeting for a roof, otherwise the whole structure is open to the elements. Fortunately, there’s a mosquito net over each of the beds. This place has a real tree house feeling!

A stay at the Hana Lani Treehouses requires some advance planning. There’s no reception area—not only do you need a reservation before you show up but also rather detailed directions on how to get to your particular accommodations. The road requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle and we recommend shoes that can cope with muddy and dirty trails. You’ll also have to bring your own food, drink, ice and mosquito repellent. Lots of mosquito repellent.

So, take seriously the Hana Lani Treehouses’ “not for the fussy” warning, find your sense of adventure and prepare yourself for an unforgettable night or two in the “real” Hawaii . . .

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Responses

My husband and I just stayed a night in the Treetops treehouse. I have very mixed feelings about the place. It was located on a beautiful property. To get to it, you have to drive down a bumpy dirt road but it wasn’t 4WD or anything. There was a slight hike to the treehouse. Didn’t seem like it was a 1/4 mile but we actually thought it was kind of fun hiking into the “jungle” – isn’t that part of the appeal of this place anyway? We even arrived after dark and were able to navigate back and forth on the path with the aid of headlamps with no problem. The bathroom is a separate structure further up the hill from the house. I thought it was actually kind of cute – yes it was exposed but you are so far out that who cares? Again part of the charm, right? And it had a flushing toilet and hot water (it worked when we were there)?! Fantastic! Kitchen is as described above, propane stove, basic utensils, etc. but this is where the review starts to break down…we didn’t cook there as we only stayed one night and arrived late and left early but the plates that were there for our use were plastic and had knife cuts in them that were just filled with mildew. I would not have eaten off them – suggest bringing paper plates with you just to be on the safe side. The upper level, where you are supposed to be able to relax and sit and watch the ocean, sunrise, etc. was supplied with two lounge chairs that had cushions that were so mildewed that I would not have wanted to sit in them — and didn’t. The view from up there was great but we didn’t spend much time as there was nowhere clean to sit. A basic plastic chair that could be wiped off in case of dirt/mildew would have been great as an alternative but a mildewed cushion that has who knows what in and on it….no thank you. Trust me, I an not a “fussy” person as the website kept warning about, but even I have limits! Finally the bed sheets were stained and had a couple of rips in them. The owner claims they were new, clean sheets that had gotten ripped while hanging on a nail and drying in the air. I appreciate the eco-friendly drying but the fact of the matter is the owner knew the sheets were ripped and didn’t replace them. When you are running a business of providing housing for people, I think you need to take into account the need to provide clean, rip free sheets…they don’t cost much for basic bedding. As it is, we didn’t think the sheets were dirty (just had permanent stain from something) and we did have a nice night sleep under the trees, listening to all the night animals wandering around below us and the early morning rain storm. It was fun and definitely different than your standard hotel. So as I said, I have mixed feelings. This place has definite potential with a few tweaks and a little more care from the owner. For one night, not needing to cook, it was fine but I would not have wanted to stay there for longer without being able to use the plates, chairs, etc. And don’t forget the bug spray – they aren’t kidding about the bugs!

DO NOT STAY HERE ! Everything the owner told me about this place was the exact opposite. The owner of this place does not even know what a coffee perculator is. TONS of mosquitos, you have to take a bath in repellant just to get to the place, and you have to burn repellant the whole time you are there to keep the bugs away. why do you think there is netting over the beds ? Beds are to small. Water heater broken. Cant enjoy the view outside for fear of being eaten alive. FOUR WHEEL drive vehicle access only. No parking. long hike up a goat trail once you park. Trail is narrow and very slippery when wet, I am surprised no one has been injured while hiking down this trail. Cannot really think of anything positive about this place other than it is a roof if it starts raining which it will. Its a shame, because with some common sense and simple improvements this place could be 100 percent better. But as it is, it is a NIGHTMARE. DO NOT GO !!!!

My husband and I stayed in this treehouse for one night on our honeymoon, while we were in Hana, in June 2002.
We just googled the treehouse to see if it were still being used. WE LOVED it! You will need to bring bug repellent, flashlights, water for brushing teeth at the house (open toilet and shower is down a path). My husband and I followed the directions of the owner and left the Maui airport at 5 pm with the needed 2 and 1/2 hours to make the 35 mile trip (over 80 hairpin turns~ so trip took a long time). We arrived at 8:30 pm (or so) and it was getting dark, so we had alittle trouble finding the driveway to the house. Once we found it, we parked and made our walk up the rocky trail surrounded by 3 foot tall impatiens. It began to mist a bit while we were making our way up the trail.
You might be interested in putting your own sheets on the bed. I remember I slept the best I’ve slept in my entire life! I’m not sure if it was because of the stress of a wedding, the surroundings, or the jet-lag (time difference from South Carolina) or maybe a combination of all.

We woke up to a beautiful sunrise in front of the treehouse, along with the distance crow of a rooster somewhere deep in the Hana rainforest.

We didn’t come prepared with our own food because we were only staying one night. HOWEVER, even if that is all you stay, be sure to bring plenty of water and food. We definitely felt like we were the ONLY people on the planet while we were staying there. There are not many gas stations along the way, so fill up before you leave civilization (and it was $4.00 a gallon in 2002 on the Hana Highway).
Either way, it was worth the stay!
Hope this helps anyone interested.

There is a really cool waterfall that we found out about from the owner of the treehouse ~be sure to ask for that!

my boyfriend and i stayed here just a few days ago (treetops) and we LOVED it. we are in lahaina right now and really wished we’d stayed there. on ground level there’s a fire pit and lounge chairs, a port-a-gas stove, an old ice chest (bring your own) and dishware. we cooked dinner and spent our nights on the third level staring at the insane stars. i grew up in alaska and still haven’t ever seen such amazing stars. they pop out in your face like nothing you’ve ever seen. the bed on the second level put us right to sleep. our second night there some crazy monsoon rain came pouring down from the night until the middle of the next day, but rain never came inside even though the windows were bug screens. the third level has a woven roof that gets too drippy when it rains so i wouldn’t recommend sleeping there. just go with your lova, and don’t bring other people because its so special and romantic with just two. the toilet and shower are in a second hut – totally open, no walls- exposed which is kind of fun.. whatever you flush out doesn’t go far, so its good that the “bathroom” is detached by path.. slather yourself in bug repellent, take two flashlights, lots of bug repelling candles and bring good drinks! i think a 3 day stay is just about perfect. its not fancy- at all, but the setting is incredible and we had an amazing time. but i swear- you need to really enjoy roughing it.. like “camping in the rain doesn’t phase a thing” rough it. and by the way, its a FREAKING TREE HOUSE!!!!! so cool.

This place was horrible. The owner hasn’t cleaned it in years it seems, the bed sheets stunk like poo, there was open nails sticking out of the wall, ripped mosquito netting and overall terrible, awful place – and we love camping. THIS WAS THE WORST PLACE WE HAVE EVER STAYED AND WE HAVE TRAVELLED THE WORLD FOR YEARS. Pass on this one, if you are at all smart.